The trucking company, Total Transportation of Mississippi, which was involved in the wreck killing the five nursing students, is reported to have had 85 wrecks all over the country and is considered to be one of the worst trucking companies in the nation with numerous trucking regulation violations. An investigation after the I-16 wreck reported that the truck driver failed to slow his 18 wheeler when traffic slowed on the highway. The driver then hit the nurses’ vehicles from the rear, causing a fiery explosion.

Many truck drivers and truck companies are to blame for causing fatal wrecks but drivers of smaller vehicles should know how to drive defensively around 18 wheeler trucks. These trucks have so much mass that they require extra stopping time and extra space. Drivers of smaller vehicles who don’t give wide berth to tractor trailers are playing Russian roulette. One truck driver writing for Popular Mechanics (a technology magazine) provided some tips on not getting squashed here. Common sense dictates giving a tractor trailer plenty of room. Get out of its way. Don’t ride in the trucker’s blind spot (along the sides) if you can help it. Don’t get in front of a truck down a hill, and so on.